Are the Philadelphia Eagles vulnerable to a divisional overthrow?

Here’s the question that will be asked all season. Can the Philadelphia Eagles win the NFC East again, or can the other three teams in the division catch up with them?

It’s long been said that the quickest way to win in the NFL is by winning your division. Such has been the case with the Philadelphia Eagles. When things have been good, they’ve had the number of the Dallas Cowboys, the Washington Redskins and New York Giants. When they haven’t, winning in the NFC East has been problem.

Last season, the Eagles went 5-1 in the division. Their only loss was a 6-0 thrilling loss (not exactly) at the hands of the Cowboys. That was a game that meant nothing and a game in which the starters were pulled early.

Philly wins that elusive Super Bowl, but do they still have a stranglehold on the NFC East?

Here’s what one expert says about the NFC East.

Most would say the Eagles are the favorites to win the NFC East. Still, of the NFL’s eight reigning division champs, a recent story by Gil Brandt of NFL.com says he sees them as the fifth most-likely team to see the balance of power in their division shift to someone else.

Here’s what they say about the competition:

"The Giants made some huge additions, drafting stud running back Saquon Barkley and beefing up the O-line with Nate Solder and rookie Will Hernandez. New York’s ground attack will be significantly better, only serving to further enhance an offense that was already loaded with pass catchers like Odell Beckham, Sterling Shepard and Evan Engram. The Redskins helped themselves a great deal with the selection of running back Derrius Guice, who will give Barkley a run for his money in the Offensive Rookie of the Year race. The Cowboys are coming off a season in which they won nine games despite down years from Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott. Philly is still the team to beat, but this division is no gimme."

According to Brandt, the three teams with, perhaps, the easiest paths to another division crown are the Minnesota Vikings, the L.A. Rams and the New England Patriots.

Let the debate begin.

The Green Bay Packers are probably the only real threat to the Vikings in the NFC North. That takes us to the NFC West, where the Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals don’t appear to be ready. At least, that’s what it looks like on the surface.

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We could argue that the San Francisco 49ers are still a year or two away. The three other members who share the AFC East with the Patriots have all been bad for almost 20 years. Put all of that into perspective. When you do, Brandt’s decision to place the Eagles at number five on a list of eight teams might be accurate.

Still, games are won on the field and not on paper. We’ll have to wait and see what happens.

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